by Brice Goulard "While Oris might be famous for its dive watches, such as the Aquis or the hype Divers Sixty Five, there’s another collection in the catalogue that is far from lacking interest; the Artelier range. Offering the same overall quality at an affordable price as the rest of the watches produced by the brand, the Artelier collection is a more elegant and complex (relatively-speaking) offering. For 2017, one of Oris’ defining movements is encased in a redesigned watch, the new Oris Artelier Complication.

With the original version of this watch, Oris was ahead of the curve, for two reasons. First of all, it launched “The Complication” back in 1991, at a time when the Swiss watch industry was slowly recovering from the troubles of the Quartz Crisis, and at a time when complicated watches, with a classic look were probably not really trendy. Secondly, with this watch, Oris helped pioneer the concept of affordable luxury. The watch offered a lot, both technically and visually, with a layout not dissimilar to that of a perpetual calendar, whilst still being quite affordable. “The Complication” was a statement, announcing the comeback of full mechanical movements and traditional complications."

One nit to pick, this one looks a little big for what it should be; as I recall, Oris used to make these around 38-40mm, and with the gap between the subdials and the bezel indicates that they've made it bigger.

Johannes! My knees are trembling from banging her so hard with my rod!

Oris' recent attempts to upgrade their line has resulted in the new models coming with much higher price points (and rightfully so). Being that Oris goes gray so much, I can only wonder if waiting out these new ones will produce similar discounts.

Oris' work the past couple of years has been really impressive, though, to be sure. But the thought that keeps creeping into my mind is if the brand's attempt to move up a notch in the pecking order, considering the fact they're not quote a household name, isn't seeking out too much, too soon. I like Oris and I'd hate to see it go the way of Glyine or FC.